Tokyo -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The light bulb above our dining room table begins to swing . The windows rattle . The table shakes .

Then the whole room shudders , the walls vibrating violently .

A vase of flowers wobbles on a top shelf . Glasses clink . There 's a loud rumble and a roar .

Then the bookshelf tears loose from the wall , scattering books everywhere , before we hear a shattering crash .

Then comes silence .

But not for long .

A few seconds later the floor begins to buck . The walls bulge . The room jumps up and down and moves from side to side . Crockery starts flying through the air .

I dive under the table , hold a cushion over my head , shut my eyes and start laughing .

When I open them I see Tokyo collapse in front of my eyes .

Then a buzzer sounds and an instructor comes into the room .

My disaster preparedness instructor bends down and looks at me cowering under the table .

She 's pleased with my performance .

`` Well done , you survived your first earthquake , '' she says with a smile . `` Not bad for a beginner . ''

More : The best sushi restaurants in Tokyo

Preparing Tokyo residents for disaster

Tokyo has a number of unusual and relatively unknown attractions -- the world 's only tapeworm museum and a noodle museum housing the world 's largest collection of pot noodle cartons come to mind .

But only one tourist site has been declared an official disaster zone .

The Tokyo Earthquake Simulation Center is located on the fourth floor of the city 's Ikebukuro Bosai-kan fire station .

It 's open to the public and there 's no charge to experience two minutes of terrifying tremors .

`` Residents of Tokyo are required to attend courses to enhance their disaster preparedness awareness , '' says my instructor .

`` Children and salarymen all come to learn what to do in the event of an earthquake . ''

The computer-controlled earthquake mimics a quake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale .

There are 50,000 reported earthquakes in the world every year .

They vary in seismic intensity . No area of the earth is entirely free from the threat , although some areas are more active than others .

Japan has had more than 60 major quakes , with the first recorded in 684 .

The 2011 Tohoku quake registered a 9.0 magnitude and claimed nearly 16,000 lives .

The world 's biggest earthquake is believed to have been the 1960 Valdiva Quake in Chile , which was a 9.5 .

The quake that hit California in 1906 and ruptured a 70-mile length of the San Andreas fault was an 8 . Other big ones have hit in Lisbon in 1755 , New Madrid , Missouri in 1811 and Alaska in 1899 .

The Lisbon quake -- which killed at least 60,000 people -- was so powerful that the water in Loch Lomond in Scotland oscillated for two minutes .

A serious earthquake with accompanying aftershocks is simulated every half hour every day except weekends and Tuesdays at Tokyo 's Life Safety Learning center .

There are similar centers in Tachikawa and Honjo .

`` The Great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake brought about catastrophic devastation , '' my disaster preparedness tutor tells me .

`` We must all learn safety measures so we know what to do in such an emergency . It might save our own life and the lives of others . Here we learn how to behave during a catastrophe . How to keep a cool head and a calm body . Our programs improve all-round earthquake skills . ''

The center has a permanent exhibition to the 1923 Tokyo earthquake .

On September 1 , 74,000 people died in seven seconds . Fifty-four percent of the brick buildings and 10 % of all reinforced-concrete structures collapsed .

One percent of the city 's houses were destroyed and 700,000 homes were burned down . The shock started a tsunami tidal wave that reached a height of 36 feet at Atami on Sagama Bay , where it destroyed a further 150 houses and killed 60 more people .

More : Insider Guide : What to do in Tokyo

` The real ones are no fun at all '

Earthquake-skills students are shown video highlights of the 1995 Kobe earthquake .

We watch motorways buckle and skyscrapers cave in . It could be make believe . But there are no special effects .

Courses at the center include basic fire extinguisher training .

There 's a special room where you 're given a canister and told to spray foam over anything and everything .

`` It 's very popular with the adults , as well as the children , '' says my instructor . `` But there 's a serious side . Students learn how to protect themselves and prevent fires from spreading after an earthquake . We also use a smoke maze and a tunnel to help people get used to being in smoke and learning how to get out of smoke-filled buildings in an orderly manner .

`` We teach emergency first aid . And how to resuscitate injured people and administer cardiac massage . This is all to minimize the casualties when and if a quake strikes . We also have escape shoot drills .

`` We have a lot of people coming back . Not because they want to learn more . They just enjoy being in an artificial earthquake scenario . Would you like to enjoy another one yourself ? ''

She smiles .

`` I can arrange it . I can cause earthquakes ! ''

So once again I sit at the table in a mock-up of a typical small Japanese apartment , complete with kitchenette .

The young woman asks me if I 'm ready , then presses a button . The room begins to shake again .

Following instructions , I run to the stove to turn off the gas supply and then open the door . Grabbing a cushion I find safety under the kitchen table .

The walls tremble and then the floor . The bookcase sways .

Through the window I can see video footage of falling masonry and giant dust clouds .

One moment a building is there and another it 's gone .

The Tokyo area experiences minor tremors every day . My second one of the afternoon is over .

I pass with flying colors and am equipped to deal with an earthquake if I ever find myself in one 's epicenter .

`` But it wo n't be so much fun , '' my earthquake examiner says . `` The real ones are no fun at all . ''

Tokyo Earthquake Simulation Center : Ikebukuro Bosai-kan , -LRB- 5 minue walk from the west exit of Ikebukuro station -RRB- ; closed Tuesdays and every 3rd Monday of the month ; Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ; +81 -LRB- 0 -RRB- 9 3590 6565 . Admission is free .

Other Tokyo museums and disaster training centers open to visitors include : Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park , at Honjo Bosai-Kan , Tachikawa Bosai-kan ; and the Science of Museum of Earthquake North Tokyo -LRB- Nishigahara Metro station -RRB-

@highlight

There are 50,000 reported earthquakes in the world each year

@highlight

World 's biggest believed to have been the 1960 Valdiva Quake in Chile , measuring 9.5 on Richter scale

@highlight

Japan has had more than 60 major quakes . Earthquake Simulator Center teaches people how to react